Runet – Russian Internet

The Russian-language segment of the internet is considered to be such a world in itself – at least by the Russian themselves – that it has even gotten its own name – “Runet” – which stands for “RUssian InterNET.” Most Russians prefer spending their online time there. Not only because their foreign language skills are often regretfully meager, but mainly because there is so much to do and to discover there.... Read More

Public restrooms in Russia

“Где здесь туале´т?” [gd'eh zd'es' too-ah-l'eht] – Where is the restroom? More often than not, the answer to this trivial question turns out to be life-saving. Especially when you find yourself in a big foreign town and your hotel is miles away – a catastrophe! No, it isn’t, because even in Moscow, a city that sometimes seems to be a little user-unfriendly, there are plenty of these heaven-sent places, if only one knows where to look for them.... Read More

The history of “housing issue”

The “housing issue” – “кварти´рный вопро´с” – has been bothering Russians for quite a time. In Soviet times, it was impossible to simply buy an apartment, and even renting was only semi-legal: All property belonged to the state and was distributed, i.e. actually rented, to the population. But people were thronging to the cities, which failed to keep up with the demand. Hence, people had to live in dormitories or in “коммуна´лки” – shared apartments where you couldn’t choose your neighbors and the feeling of communal hatred was flourishing. Some lucky people got their own apartments, and sometimes even small country houses, or “dachas”. But even so, they had to share this pseudo-property with their extended families, and having in-laws at your premises can sometimes lead to even grosser forms of communal hatred.... Read More

Taxi service in Russia

There are many taxi companies in Russia, and while going around town, it’s always handy to have the telephone numbers of a couple of them so that one doesn’t get stuck somewhere in the middle of the night, with no buses or subway stations around. A taxi will bring you anywhere you want, and they’re especially convenient to use if you want to go somewhere to the outskirts of the town, like to an airport.... Read More

Russian bribe culture

When talking about any Russian authority – be it customs, police, any other kind of bureaucratic institutions, or even hospitals, the topic of bribes arises almost immediately. Unfortunate, but true: Russian society is based on bribing, the tradition of which goes far back into history. Somehow, the culture of honesty in business and especially in the public sector never took root in Russia, and thus, very many Russians live according to the principle that a little money discreetly inserted into the paperwork you’re submitting will achieve much better results than the honest procedure. You were supposed to get your documents back in 2 weeks, and now, they’ll be ready in 2 days, isn’t it grand?... Read More

Shopping in Russia

Grocery shopping in today’s Russia is uncomplicated: The Soviet scarcity of everyday products is in the past, and nobody remembers those huge lines for sugar or shoes anymore. Nowadays, the food shortages are gone, there are plenty of different shops everywhere, and their opening-times are often very generous. It’s possible to find stores that are open 24/7, and almost all shops are open on Sundays. Thus, the key question has changed from “Where do I get food?” (“Где доста´ть еду´?“) to “How not to get lost in all this variety of shops?” Let’s review some of the kinds of shops.... Read More

Advantages of the subway

Everyone loves the Moscow subway (Moscow Metro), and there’s a reason for that. It is fast and reliable, its structure is clear-cut, and many of its stations look like palaces or museum halls. Traffic jams are left behind on the surface, trains come every two minutes, and it’s hard to get lost because there are so many direction signs: Just follow the color of your line.... Read More